Tirea Aysmuk
by Enceludus
Summary: Because sometimes grief can't be put into words and it is best just to have faith in Eywa.


**I don't own anything to do with Avatar. I wish I did. Enjoy x**

He lay sideways on a wide limb, far above the canopy of the forest with his hands intertwined behind his head. Light pulsated from the living world below, occasionally accompanied by the harsh cry of a beast he would probably never see. Many were so elusive it was considered a blessing to catch sight of one. Once, he heard Neytiri's distinctive call, but that was many hours ago, when Pandora's sun was setting behind the pastel body of the gas giant. Great beams of opal and salmon light had illuminated the world from horizon to horizon and Jake had felt a profound instant of looking into infinity. Then the moment had passed.

The air was thinner here and crisp, so high above the ground. For once, there was no scent of soil or foliage in the air. Just the smell of the wind. Jake shivered, squirming back into the warm moss below him. Above, stars and moons formed an interlocking pattern that lit up the sky and dispersed the shadows about his body.

Whenever he came up here, he couldn't help but think of Earth. How he wished that the people could see the beauty that he was looking at now. How he wished they could experience the wonders that he had. But they never would, and what upset him more was that they didn't even know what they were missing.

Fire flies, or rather the Pandora equivalent flickered lazily above him, looking more like shooting stars than insects. In fact…Jake sat up and reached up to them, only to realise that his perspective had been skewed dramatically – they weren't fire flies, they were some form of bat analogue, with luminous tails to attract insects. They flew far, far above him. Jake shook his head in wonder and let out a chuckle – the bats must have had a wingspan as great as his height to be visible so far away.

That was the way with Pandora. Everything seemed familiar to him, but a thousand times more impressive.

He sank back into the mossy bough. Pandora had changed him. Everything he thought he knew about himself was but a memory. He was a child again. Every new plant, every new creature or word or custom astounded him. There was a time when nothing amazed him, but now a day did not go by without him feeling foolish and ignorant of the wonders of the world. He felt like an explorer; he felt like his brother

Whenever he found himself thinking about his brother in the past, he caught the thoughts and crushed them, but for the first time in months, he let himself dwell. Tom should be the one here, not him.

To Jake's surprise, he felt warm tears in his eyes and sat upright to wipe them away angrily. He was still clumsy with his hands, despite the fact his body was now his entirely. Simple movements would catch him off guard, reminding him painfully that he was still an alien in the world and always would be. He cradled his big head in his larger hands, frustrated. He shouldn't be here, Tom should.

'It is good to be sad,' came Neytiri's soft voice behind him. He sensed rather than saw her lithe body brushing past the fronds of thick vine that grew skywards. 'It helps to say goodbye.' Her warm hands found his broad shoulders, then slid round until they were clasped across his chest. She knelt down and laid her chin on his head. 'Who are these for?' She asked gently, wiping away a tear.

Why were words so difficult? 'My brother,' he managed after clearing his throat. 'My twin.'

'I am sorry, Jake. I did not know.'

'He should be here. To see all this…'

'Ewya chose you,' Neytiri told him, as though to answer every doubt and regret in his mind.

'But it's not right. She should've chosen Tom. He never even got to see Pandora…'

'My Jake, what you call twins are what we call _tirea aysmuk. _It means…' She pondered for a moment, drumming her powerful fingers against Jake's powerful chest. 'It means soul siblings.' Jake said nothing, but let his eyes wander over the plains. His tears had been a brief moment of weakness, but he was strong again now, he was Jakesullee again.

'Your _tirea aysmuk _will always be with you,' she touched his heart, 'here. He will see what you see. Feel what you feel. And when it is your time to return to Ewya, then both of you will become part of the land again and our descendants will listen to the calls of Jakesullee and Tohumsullee.'

He leant into her embrace, letting her words roll over him. _Tirea aysmuk_…he mused the term and shook his head slightly, battled the helpless tide of grief that threatened to overwhelm him again. Tom was dead, it was as simple as that. He would never feel or see a single thing again. Jake had never felt further from his brother.

Neytiri seemed to read his mind.

'Before you came here, you did not believe in Eywa either,' she murmured in his ear. 'Tohum is as much apart of this world as you are and he will be with you always. He is the reason you are here and for that Eywa will reward him. Just wait and see.'


End file.
